Next Track: Katy Perry f/Nicki Minaj – Swish Swish

Just a few weeks from the release of Witness, the newest Katy Perry album, and it’s already showing signs of not living up to the high bar she’s set for herself over the last decade. Chained To The Rhythm was an attempted political rally over a silly melody that just didn’t match up to any of her past hits. Bon Appétit took too long to get going and was her first real flop. Which brings us to Swish Swish – the era-saving song!

The song, which samples Fatboy Slim, takes us back to 90s house with its cutting beat, slicing hihat and catchy bassline. Katy calls it her response to bullies, the internet calls it her (uber-delayed – why even bother?) response to Taylor Swift. The SNL performance helped give birth to the next #LeftShark by way of #BackPackKid. What’s not to love? Earlier I declared that Katy wouldn’t have a song on the Summer Soundtrack of 2017. I was wrong. She’s got another one in the basket.